State unemployment numbers for November due today

And they're hoping for some cheery news in the report that comes out today, just a week before Christmas.

Florida's unemployment rate remained at 11.9 percent in October, unchanged from September with nearly 1.1 million workers looking for a job. Florida remains more than two percentage points above the 9.6 percent national average.

State economist Rebecca Rust said anecdotal reports indicate holiday season hiring from October through December will be up this year, possibly hitting 40,000 additional jobs. She noted that some of those jobs typically become permanent.